EcoWaste Coalition is a public interest network of community, church, school, environmental and health groups pursuing sustainable solutions
to waste, climate change and chemical issues facing the Philippines and the world.

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01 January 2014

Green Group Laments Over Post-Revelry Garbage in Metro Manila’s Streets, Urges Citizens to commit to Waste Less, Recycle More this New Year

Martinez St., Mandaluyong City

Francisco St. (near Oro-A St.), San Andres, Manila

J.P Rizal Ave. cor H. Santos St., Barangay Tejeros, Makati City

Kaliraya St., Quezon City

Bagong Kalsada, Tuktukan, Taguig City

After the smoggy atmosphere owing to the warlike
blasting of firecrackers and fireworks had eased, an environmental organization
drew attention to the mountains of garbage that lined up Metro Manila’s streets
the morning after the New Year’s
revelries.

The EcoWaste Coalition, a waste and pollution watchdog group, lamented the
mammoth disposal of post-revelry trash in countless street corners and
sidewalks that is sure to keep garbage collectors busy and the dump trucks and
dumpsites full to the brim.

“On the first day of the New Year, we see these all too familiar sights of
street dumps and smell the stink of mixed garbage rising from it,” said Aileen
Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste
Coalition.

“Tons of garbage from the revelries, left on the streets to be collected and
disposed of by haulers in far-off places, greet passersby and commuters
covering their noses because of the stench,” she said.

“Disappointingly, this is the messiness by which we usher in the New Year.
And it’s a messiness that is polluting even faraway communities where
such garbage is disposed of in dumpsites or landfills,” she observed.

Firecracker wrappers, food leftovers, Styrofoam containers, soiled packaging
materials, and lots and lots of plastic bags were among the most visible stuff
thrown away by residents, the Basura Patrollers reported.

Since this is the period when many people make resolutions for the New Year,
the EcoWaste Coalition urged Filipinos from all walks of life to commit to
preventing and reducing waste this 2014.

“We invite everyone, from the filthy rich to the dirt poor, to waste less this
New Year by reducing what we throw away and reusing, repairing and recycling
even more,” Lucero suggested.

“By aiming for a Zero Waste lifestyle at home, church, school, workplace and
neighborhood where we belong, we save precious resources from being squandered,
reduce environmental pollution, make our communities tidier and safer, and save
public monies by avoiding
disposal costs,” she stated.

“We surely can have a garbage and toxics-free society by embracing a more
eco-friendly way of life,” she added.

“Otherwise, our littered streets will turn from bad to worse and our garbage
production will perpetually swell polluting surroundings near and afar and
consuming lots of public funds for cleanup and disposal,” she warned.

According to data posted at the website of the National Solid Waste Management
Commission (NSWMC), the national daily waste generation is to rise from 38,757
tons in 2013 to 38,092 in 2014. It was estimated at 37427 in 2012 and is
projected to climb to 40,087 in 2016.

As per the NSWMC, the National Capital Region’s garbage generation is set to
increase from 8,754 tons in 2013 to 8,907 tons daily in 2014. Based on NSWMC’s
figures, Metro Manila’s garbage is 52% biodegradable, 41% recyclable and 7%
residual.

Waste diversion rate, or the amount of trash diverted away from dumpsites,
landfills and incinerators, is reportedly 41% in Metro Manila and 36% outside
Metro Manila, according to the NSWMC.

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is a public interest network of community, church, school, environmental and health groups pursuing sustainable solutions to waste, climate change and chemical issues facing the Philippines and the world.